4 Tips For Shredding On Your Electric Guitar_42941

Learning how to play electric guitar is not easy for most people. Rising to the next level and mastering the art of shred on your electric guitar is a goal that many guitarists find even more difficult. There are some simple tips that will help you master this much sought after, art of shredding. Tip # 1 - Repetition The single most important way to increase your speed is to use a drum machine or metronome. Begin by playing the lick, solo or lead at a slower speed and very clean. Slowly increase the tempo using the metronome or drum machine. Be patient. This procedure could take days or even weeks to master the solo, lead or phrease you are learning. Remember, this is repetition. It is tedious and it could take hundreds of attempts for you to play it perfectly at full tempo. Tip # 2 - Fingering When playing guitar, fingering is important at any speed. But, it is absolutely crucial when shredding. You can actually get by with sloppy or bizarre fingering when playing slowly. If you try to increase the tempo of the song though using that same sloppy fingering, you will inevitably run into problems. You will generally reach your top speed very quickly. This is when it becomes time to study your fingering choices and make some changes. To truly shred, you have to position your fingers effeciently. You will normally have to relearn the phrase or lick using the new changes, because it will change how your subconscious mind views the phrase. Tip # 3 - Picking Technique To truly shred, the piece of music you are learning needs to be analyzed for the most effecient way to pick the notes. This can include alternate picking, hammers and pulls, sweep arpeggios and many other techniques. The key is effeciency. Minimize the movement of the pick as much as is possible. Avoid flicking the pick when attempting to shred. Shredding demands a very effecient motion, almost machine like. When shredding, the emotion is conveyed through the choice of notes, not the way the note is played. It is very different from playing the blues or jazz. Tip # 4 - Teach the Subconscious This is a vital part of shredding. You must be able to play a lick, lead or phrase without consciously thinking about the choice of notes. One way to achieve this to distract your conscious mind by watching TV or anything else while repeating the lick with a metronome or drum machine. An even better test is if you can read and comprehend what you're reading while playing along with a metronome. This will be difficult until you get the lick firmly established in your subconscious. But, the dividends will be well worth it. Utilize these techniques and you will be amazed how quickly your shredding will improve.